1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a scanner that is connected via network or locally connected to a printer to realize a copying function by outputting a scanned image to the printer as a copy job, and to a control method for the display of an operation menu thereof. More particularly, the present invention relates to a scanner that is designed to improve its usability by selectively displaying the display contents of an operation menu that can be operated based on capability information of the printer, and to a control method for the display of an operation menu of such scanner.
2. Description of the Related Art
There has recently been proposed a system to realize a copy function without using a personal computer. In this system, a printer is connected to a scanner via a network, and an image scanned by the scanner is transmitted to the printer as a copy job.
In such system, a variety of models of printers having a variety of functions may be connected to the scanner.
In such system, even if a user sets several setting items on the scanner's operation menu to realize desired copy functions, some of those functions may not be available or may be restricted on the printer side, resulting in that the user cannot obtain his/her desired print-out, or, in some cases, the user may receive an error message.
The UI (User Interface) that is displayed on an operation panel as an operation menu for the copying functions is typically several examples of paper size enlargement and reduction, whereby selectable scaling factors are determined based on the regular paper sizes supported by the scanner and the regular paper sizes supported by the printer which prints out the scanned image.
If the scanner is a color scanner, selectable items are restricted for the functions available on a monochrome printer compared to the functions available on a color printer.
This makes it necessary to change the display contents on the side of the scanner according to the model of the printer connected thereto.
Further, it is also required to change the designation of the print out pattern when performing both-side printing, depending on whether or not an original document to be scanned by the scanner is both-side printed, and depending on whether or not the printer has a paper feed mechanism for both-side printing.
Thus, in order to realize a copying function in the configuration in which a scanner and a printer connected to the printer, the operation menu for various functions relating to the copying function need to be changed according to the capability of the equipment and types of original documents to be scanned.
Conventionally, there has been known a technique relating to a copying function to use a printer to print out an image scanned by a scanner, and this technique is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2001-345974, titled “Device for Information Processing and Method for Image Processing, Storage Medium, and Program”.
The invention disclosed in the Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2001-345974 aims to facilitate, when utilizing the copying function, the setting operation for reading an image and the setting operation for printing the read image without depending on the configuration of the equipment, wherein input setting information relating to image reading processing for the copying function and output setting information relating to print processing are prestored in a memory, so that image processing is performed in an image processing mode selected by the operator.
According to the Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2001-345974, however, setting information corresponding to capabilities of possibly connected equipment models need be previously registered in the memories of both the scanner and the printer. Moreover, the setting information need be changed every time the connection configuration is changed.
Furthermore, another problem is posed that any other equipment than those whose setting information has previously been registered cannot be used.